


I Am a Hero

by rainbowdots888



Category: Johnny's Entertainment, Kanjani8 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Dystopia, Fights, M/M, Mystery, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-06 05:40:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14635248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowdots888/pseuds/rainbowdots888
Summary: "Ryo is on a winning streak, he can't give up now, when he's finally become the Hero he's always strived to be."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an OS that once again escaped me (Oops), so this is the first part (it's long...) and I'll post the second part later ;-)   
> Warning for heavy dystopian atmosphere!

\- 0 -

 

Some people say that we leave bits of our souls on every object, every person we touch. Like a permanent mark, a delicate and almost unnoticeable stain that changes the world around us, touch after touch, building a structure of what we are.

 

Ryo knows, though, what he is leaving in the Machine that holds him prisoner for hours every day: his sanity.

 

He's heard about this old tale of the souls bleeding on each other, on things, from the old Drivers. And every time he puts his helmet on, every time the Machine locks itself around his limbs like a metallic vampire, he thinks of it. Once again today, he hopes that at last, his cold fetters will somehow remember him, who he is, now, when he'll be gone, then.

 

Because if the Machine does not remember him, who will?

 

 

\- I -

 

  
  
His muscles ache tonight. From too many fights, too much stimulation from the electrodes that stick to his arms and legs, leaving marks on them looking like the embrace of an octopus. But still, his assistant puts them on again, on the very same spots, abused and darkened by the power transferred from him to the Machine during the rounds. He is on a winning streak, he can't give up now, when he's finally become the Hero he's always strived to be.

 

The bell rings its low key warning as the Gate is about to be opened: he'll be on the ring very soon.

 

Technically, he won't. His Double will. A creature that he controls, that's the spitting image of himself, only a pure projection of his strength and his combativity, made giant by the infinite power supply of the Ring of Heroes. A hologram born from his mind and the power lent by the Machine, a thing that can move, touch, fight, hurt.

 

He has chosen a bright armor of yellow plates and helmet ornated with gold foliage to make his Double bright and impressive on the ring. His fans call him the Lightning God and he likes the music it makes when their voices unite before the first round, chanting his glory and his success.

 

If only it didn't hurt that much.

 

The bell rings a second time and the Lightning God comes to life on the left side of the main ring, wowing the audience. It unravels its surreally long limbs and stands, as high as a skyscraper, towering over the thousands of lucky ones who could afford a ticket for the evening's performance.

 

The electrodes burn their way into Ryo's skin, he grimaces in pain but the voices of his fans are keeping him standing, in the small studio where the Hero Drivers are hidden, far from their audience's eyes. So people can't see what they are, for real.

 

He lifts his right arm – it burns so much – and the Lightning God does the same, its clenched fist defying the mock night sky three hundred feet above the ground. The crowd howls its delight and despite the pain, Ryo smiles proudly.

 

 _They_ will remember him. He's the greatest Hero the country has ever seen.

 

****************  
  
He's fought for hours, his back hurts so much he just wants to collapse and cry his pain for good. He doesn't even feel the burns anymore, it feels like his flesh has become molten silver, hot and runny, almost insensitive.

 

He's beaten five other Heroes in one show, the audience is roaring with pleasure at every single blow he gives. Five other flesh slaves like him who may have become mad already, five men or women he'll never meet, made crazy by the Machine or just annihilated by the power it contains.

 

“Ryo, you've still got the last one to fight.” The impersonal voice talking to him through the rusty microphone says matter-of-factly.

 

“I... I'm exhausted. Tomorrow....” He tries, knowing that no one will listen.

 

“This one will be a piece of cake, man. It'll be his first show. Too bad, the odds have put him in front of you.”

 

A piece of cake... An easy one. Another easy victim thinking he can control a Hero. Thinking he can beat the Lightning God.

 

Ryo throws his head backward and screams, every single movement mirrored by his Double, his voice amplified by the speakers in the arena. The audience screams with him.

 

That's when his last opponent of the day materializes in front of him, slowly appearing, line after line, color after color, like an endless puzzle taking shape.

 

He's huge, way taller than the Lightning God and it makes everyone shiver. What if he were stronger?

 

Both of the Heroes bow slightly to each other. The bell rings once, then twice.

 

It has started.

 

Usually, his opponents are in a rush, restless, impudent. They attack, without thinking twice, the glorious Hero they finally meet in the flesh. But this one is different. It's staring, the two green lights that are standing in lieu of his eyes on his helmet looking almost contemplative. It moves slowly, its long limbs supple and deft. So Ryo starts moving as well and it feels like a dance, like a subtle game building the tension in the arena. The audience is mute, no noise can be heard except for the cries of an infant way too young to be watching giants fighting on a ring.

 

“Will you do something, at last?” Ryo finally asks, his voice transformed by the software. It echoes on the terraces, several times. The other stops. The tall Hero remains silent. Its right arm swiftly goes up, like reaching for the fake projected moon that shines above them and suddenly a great beam of green light comes out of its palm, forming the greatest sword Ryo has ever seen. He has no time to react, the sword falls on his Double, cutting through it so fast that the Lightning God explodes in a billion fragments of light before the dismayed eyes of his fans.

 

Ryo falls on his knees. He burns all over, the electrodes are melting on his skin and his assistant rushes to him. He's awestruck, he's in pain, he spits blood but his world has suddenly become way more interesting: he has found an enemy worth the fight.

 

 

\- II -

 

  
  
Ryo has finally something to celebrate, he's not invincible anymore. He's smiling in his glass of cheap alcohol, watching the bodies of hundreds of people dance on a music that hurts his ears. He's gone down, deep under the ground to find the seediest place possible with the strongest rotgut to drink. When he celebrates, it's with the masses, far from the rich population living in the tallest towers, the actual demographic he is part of.

 

Ryo's filthy rich, to his own surprise, and lives in a condo that overlooks the clouds, just because he's a Hero. No one knows his face, the Lightning God is the famous one in their relationship. But when he's not resting after the very demanding fights, when he's not recovering, he likes to go down, to mingle with the masses and imagine he is someone else.

 

Someone covered with bruises and burns, but still. Someone unimportant, far from his Double and the mission the powerful ones have given to the Heroes: entertain the rabble so it doesn't even form the idea of overthrowing the system. They're here to prevent the riots. That's why he's so well paid, and that's because he's so well paid that he accepts the excruciating pain. After all, the poor are suffering as well and they never get a glimpse of what comfort is. At least, he enjoys the few hours he spends in his tower.

 

Laser lights are cutting through the thick and insufferably warm air, green beams that remind him of his last fight, a few hours ago. That light sword was a thing of beauty, a weapon he's never seen materialized before, that he'd like to fight again. Even if he loses, he has to understand how it works and how powerful is the mind behind the tall Hero, the soul capable to produce such a powerful extension of himself.

 

The beats of the music are deep, it makes the whole place vibrate and Ryo is gorging himself with the very image of what he isn't, what he's escaped from. A filthy and creeping crowd, unaware of its own stupidity, fed with fights between giants made of light, unable to see how rich and contemptuous the leading caste is.

 

Someone seats next to him, a guy, younger than him. Or at least he looks like so, with a face so pretty it's confusing.

 

“May I?” He asks when he's already seated and smiling. A beautiful smile, luminous. Weird in that atmosphere that reeks of filth and sweat.

 

Ryo bows his head, just a tad. And lifts his glass to meet halfway with the other's.

 

“Cheers!” The young man says, still beaming. He's got brown eyes, long black hair, and an unkempt beard. His clothes are rags, but still, he's the prettiest thing Ryo has seen since his arrival. The hazelnut orbs are following all his movements, spying on his mouth when he drinks and on the light flicker of his lashes when he gets surprised by how strong the alcohol is.

 

“You're not from here, right?”

 

“... How do you know?” Ryo answers with a question, puzzled.

“Well, it shows. Your clothes, for example.” The young man points at his shirt. “No one wears a white shirt anymore. 'Tis too dirty down here. I think I haven't seen one in years, to be honest.”

 

“Oh.” Ryo feels awkward. It's the first time one of them comes to him to talk. Usually, they just want to fuck and get paid for it, never saying a word about his clothes or his perfectly shaved face. “Maybe I should have changed, then.”

 

“Nah, it's okay. No one will dare to approach you anyway.”

 

“You did.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“You dared to approach me...” Ryo repeats, louder, in order to cover the noisy music.

 

“Yeah. Let's say that I'm curious.” And the young man winks at him. Ryo already knows what he wants for the last part of his celebration night.

 

“Would you like to go up?”

 

“What?!”

 

“Go up!” Fucking music that makes their conversation so awkward. Ryo shouldn't have to scream that kind of things, it's already embarrassing enough. “With me! At my place...”

 

The other looks at him knowingly. He's exactly like the others, after all, just very chatty. Ryo's a little disappointed maybe, but at least his conquest of the night is beautiful, way more beautiful than expected from the underground, and wittier than many people. It promises him a pleasurable night, at least.

 

“May I?” The other surprisingly asks. “I mean, is it what you want?”

 

“Of... Course? I'm asking you...”

 

“I'm not a whore, Sir. If I come with you it's...”

 

Ryo stands and gives his right hand to the young man.

 

“It's now or never, dude.”

 

The luminous brown eyes shine as the other's hand reaches for his. It's big, this hand that now holds his, and when his companion stands, Ryo notices how tall he is.

 

He starts walking, fast, followed by the other, through the network of dimly lighted streets that spreads underground, forming the gloomiest labyrinth humanity has ever built. When they reach the elevator to the towers it's past two in the morning. Ryo dials his personal code on the pad next to the door. The cabin, entirely made of glass, surges upward, speeding through vertical tunnels covered in rusty concrete. When finally after fifteen minutes of silent climbing they reach the outside, emerging from the darkness, the young man opens his mouth in awe at the beauty of the sky surrounding them.

 

“Wait... Have you ever seen the sky?” He asks, strangely touched by the genuine reactions of his companion.

 

“...I... No... It's... amazing...”

 

“Wait for the moment you'll _feel_ the pure air on your face. It's worth all the wealth in the world.”

 

Ryo takes a step and approaches the young man while they're surging through the first small clouds. His hand reaches for the other's cheek and he can't help leaning in, stealing a chaste kiss from the tempting lips.

 

“You smell so good...” The other man whispers, making their mouths meet again.

 

Ryo doesn't care about the other's rags dirtying his once white shirt nor about the darkened hands touching the soft skin of his back: he's never been kissed like this in his entire life.

 

When the bell of the elevator chimes and they've arrived at his floor, it's with reluctance that he breaks the embrace and takes the other's hand in his again.

 

“First we're going to run you a bath. Do you even know what a bathtub is?”

 

The young man shrugs, clueless.

 

 

 

 

\- III -

 

 

“Everything's so beautiful here, I've never... Wow...”

 

Ryo chuckles. The other is awfully cute, it's the first time he meets someone from the underground so genuine, a random guy he's finally curious about.

 

“You must think that I'm stupid.” the young man concludes with an embarrassed smile.

 

“No... Not at all. You're just very cute.”

 

“Cute? I've never been called cute. Is that a thing up here?”

 

“Well, I could call you many things, but...” Ryo leaves a fleeting kiss on his companion's mouth, feeling naughtier than ever. “... Cute and sexy are certainly the first two that would come to my mind...”

 

They're in his bathroom, a large room which walls are covered in cream-colored marble. The lights are on, it's very bright and he finally notices all the awesome nuances in the brown of the other's eyes.

 

“So, hm. That's the bathtub... To take a bath. The water's warm, so you should plunge in there while it lasts.”

 

The other does not move an inch, eyeing the huge bathtub with reluctance.

 

“Do you want me to leave? If you'd like to take off your clothes without me watch...”

 

“No... It's okay. Please stay.” The young man grabs his wrist like a lost child who does not want to face a complicated situation alone. “Just... Can we turn the lights off?”

 

“Yeah, sure”

 

It's a weird request but Ryo feels very obliging tonight. Too bad if he does not see, he's certain he will feel. The moon shines bright enough to at least give them the light needed to get rid of their clothes and find the bathtub without feeling around like blind men. They both plunge their tired bodies into the hot bath, that he has perfumed with the fragrance of white flowers, and sigh in relief in unison.

 

Ryo feels his abused muscles relax, one after another and stretches his limbs in the water. The tub is so large that he does not touch the other at all. It's silent for a while in the room, and apart from a dark silhouette in front of him, he can't see the young man's body nor his face.

 

“Are you alright?” He asks, out of patience.

 

“Yes. Better than I've ever been, to be honest.”

 

“Great.”

 

Another heavy silence falls between them. It had started so well, but now, Ryo is at a loss. What should he do, what's the right technique with the strange guy he's brought back home on a mood swing?

 

The water of the bath suddenly moves in subtle waves that softly crash against his chest. The other seems to have dived head first into the bath, moving the scented liquid around like a light breeze would have disturbed the surface of a pond. When his head comes out of the water again, he's very close to Ryo, so close his wet hair is dripping on his shoulders. Fingers caress his cheeks, he holds his breath, strangely turned on by the softness of it all.

 

“May I?” The young man asks again, with what Ryo now acknowledges as his custom seductive tone.

 

“Sure.” Would he try saying something more, he couldn't, mesmerized as he is by the movement of his companion's limbs brushing against his underwater. He's surprised at how deftly the other installs himself between his legs, resting his large and muscular back against his own way too skinny torso. The young man's head falls back with abandonment on his left shoulder, while he sighs again with the sexiest sound Ryo has ever heard.

 

He dares to embrace the other from behind, letting his hands roam on the sinewy chest, following the lines of the tensed muscles with the tip of his fingers. There's a lump in his throat, he doesn't know why exactly but he feels like he's about to cry.

 

“How does it feel?” He finally asks, his voice altered by the sob he's keeping inside.

 

“So good... Thank you...”

 

Ryo feels the irregular heartbeats under his fingers when they meet a nipple, then another, and it makes the man resting in his arms moan out loud. He leans in and kisses the jaw his mouth meets first, then the lips that are open for him and lets his tongue languidly taste the flavor of the other. It's almost too good to be true after the last evening's fight and the excruciating pain he's felt in the arena. His burns are not hurting anymore, his body is only focused on the delicate whimpers his new lover lets out, on the incredible sensation of their sensitive flesh touching.

 

He leaves a trail of kisses along the other's neck and takes his time to leave his marks there. He can't see those marks, in the darkness that cradles them, but he can hear his companion's short breaths intensify when his right hand finally reach his groin. He feels like giving tonight, tenderness and relief when usually he's used to giving pain and death. It's so beautiful, the voice of the young man echoing against his bathroom's marble walls, it's so powerful what he feels while giving pleasure to this particular being that when the other comes, finally, he doesn't even ask for reciprocation and just tenderly kisses his lover's trembling shoulder.

 

****************  
  
Ryo doesn't remember how exactly he's gone to bed, his memories of the night are blurry as if the burning rotgut had finally reached his brain after the bath moment. When he opens an eye, he's alone in bed, though the lumpy second pillow shows that someone else has slept there. He stretches, lazily checking around.

 

Obviously, the other is gone. There's no trace of him in the flat, except for a small sticky note left on the door.

 

_'051685 – 8'_

 

It's an ID number, and for lack of a name, at least Ryo knows he'll be able to find again the young man. If he wants to be found, that is.

 

Thing is, he'd like to start searching right now, but he has a meeting with his sponsors to deal with first. They'll certainly talk shit about his last fight but he does not care. He's even eager to go back in the arena for once, in order to fight this surprising Hero again and beat him in style. And after that he'll look for the young man, he'll spend the whole night with him, maybe a few days of rest, in bed.

 

Ryo smiles – it had been a long time since he'd seen himself so joyful in the mirror – finds some clean clothes and takes the sticky note with him. Just in case, he tries memorizing the ID before leaving his place, his low mumble sounding like a prayer.

 

 

\- IV -

 

As expected, his sponsors have been horrible. He's been scolded like a four-year-old boy for long minutes before he swore before them that his newfound challenger wouldn't pose any more problems. They're a bunch of awfully overweighed men, richer than anyone on the planet, and dumber than most. They're assholes basically, but they pay. They give Ryo a lot of money for what he's doing and he'd be a fool to refuse.

 

So when he puts his helmet on, again, that night, he tries not to think about the pain of the electrodes biting his flesh again nor about the tall Hero he'll most likely fight again tonight. He thinks about the soft curves of the young man he's spent last evening with, about his sweet little moans and his luscious lips. After the fights, tonight, he'll go back to the underground club to meet the other again.

 

“051685 – 8” He whispers again before giving the impulsion that makes his Double appear on the ring. The arena is delirious, his fans are here, delighted to see that he hasn't given up after his defeat, that he's still a fighter, and will be the winner tonight.

 

The audience holds its breath when the second giant makes its appearance. He's rather small, with a shimmering white armor that shines like diamonds. He or she has a few fans as well in the crowd but their cheering is very quickly silenced by the violent series of blows the White Double receives from the Lightning God. Ryo feels good, he's in control and he almost feels through every single electrode attached to his limbs the armor of his opponent cracking, exploding, until there's nothing left of the other.

 

The arena chants his name again, he's so proud, he's going to prove them all that no one can pretend to defeat him anymore.

 

The bell rings again, and light gathers again in front of the Lightning God to bring another Giant to life. The legs first, then the protected torso with its shining green plates... and the helmet with emerald eyes, towering over Ryo's Double, again.

 

A shiver runs through the stands. It's silent. The fight promises to be a great one.

 

“You again, fucker...” Ryo hisses and the microphone broadcasts his transformed voice into the arena, making some bold enthusiasts scream.

 

The tall giant bows silently and it looks like he'll adopt the same strategy again, lifting his arm as if to reach for the fake moon. But this time Ryo is prepared, he knows what will happen so before the other finishes his movement he throws both his fists forward, aiming at the other's breastplates. The sound the powerful beams of light make when they meet is deafening, their shock echoing on every single wall in the immense dome.

 

The Tall Giant does not move an inch. His right arm goes down, falling limp by his side. Ryo has to grab the opportunity quickly, so he reaches for the virtual scabbard on his back and unsheathes his own light weapon, a huge wite sword which blade zigzags in the shape of a lightning bolt. He's about to strike when his opponent falls on one knee before him, which brings his emerald eyes at the Lightning God's level. They look like real jewels, with thousands of facets reflecting his own image. It's quite fascinating, to say the least, and Ryo loses himself in their contemplation for a second too many. The other suddenly mirrors his previous blow, swiftly throwing both his fists forward. The blow is so powerful it does not just hit the Lightning God's armor, it makes his enemy's hands pierce through his body of light like through water and makes it explode again.

 

The pain is so overwhelming for Ryo that he passes out and falls unconscious in his assistant's arms. Blood is coming out of his mouth, his chest and the electrodes are burning him again, making his body a sorry piece of wounded flesh.

 

****************  
  
When he wakes up, Ryo is in his own bed, covered in bandages and cataplasm. He hurts all over and it feels like torture to reach for his watch on the nightstand to check on the date.

 

 _It's been two days..._ He thinks, grimacing. He tries to sit up but the atrocious pain returns and he faints again, defeated by the limits of his flesh body

 

-V -

 

 

One week. It's been one week, and Ryo finally feels better. His wounds have been tended regularly, he's been pampered by all the nurses working for his sponsors and the day before he's even taken a walk on the skypath, breathing the pure air in large gulps as if he were taking in Life itself.

 

It doesn't hurt anymore, actually. His pride is wounded, his heart bleeds because of the consequences that will inevitably fall upon him, but overall his body is doing okay and for the first time in years, that week of a break has turned his burns into rosy scars.

 

Tonight he feels strong enough to walk alone for a while and without noticing at first, his steps are bringing him inside the main elevator of his tower, his fingers dialing the code to travel downward, directly to the underground. He first stops at the level he knows the best, where he has met the one he's looking for. There's no one like him in the club where the speakers are continuously blaring deafening music. The lights moving around reveal a shoulder, an eye, perfect legs, bodies embraced, but there's still no trace of the other in that place teeming with people.

 

Ryo changes his plans and hops into the elevator again, bound for the 8th level of the underground, where the other one is from. The number eight of his ID has told Ryo as much as that but his exact location still remains a mystery.

 

When the door opens, it's quiet. The narrow streets are lighted by gas lights that whistle loud enough to create a very disturbing background sound. He walks around a little, observing the cubicles that serve as houses to the poor soul living down there. He can hear a lot of noises coming from those, cries and screams, kitchenware rattled together, but he's alone outside, lost in the labyrinth of the 8th level. No wonder the other has been so surprised and moved by the very simple view of the night sky when he's confronted every day with such a place. A claustrophobic panic is slowly seizing Ryo's heart as he turns the corner of yet another filthy and smelly street. He's about to give up, his breath is short and he suddenly feels very tired.

 

“Looking for someone, Sir?” Someone asks behind him. Ryo jolts a little but he's instantly reassured by the voice he's heard. It's Him.

 

He turns around and can't help but smile.

 

“I was looking for you. I, er... got lost?”

 

“Are you crazy, coming by yourself down here, still wearing such flashy clothes?” The other scolds him, cradling his skinny body into his arms in a very spontaneous and tender gesture. “I thought you'd come down earlier, to be honest...”

 

The young man's lips are in his hair and Ryo breathes in the nice scent of the other's skin. He feels suddenly a lot better than a minute ago, despite his fright and the still whistling gas lamps around them.

 

“I... Had to deal with some... problems. I couldn't come earlier, I'm sorry.”

 

“It's okay. I hoped you'd come, I didn't know what to think after... the last time we met, you see.”

 

He wants to look into the other's eyes to say what he has to say, so Ryo lifts his head, tearing himself from the other's strong chest.

 

“I missed you. I don't know how to explain this and it's very weird but... I missed you.”

 

He's rewarded with a kiss, slow and sweet, that has him purring in his companion's arms.

 

“I don't even know your name.” He whispers on the other's lips.

 

“I'm Tadayoshi.” The other answers softly.

 

“I'm Ryo.”

 

They kiss again under the dim lights as if they were alone in the world. Ryo is glad he has recovered enough to be able to taste the other's lips tonight, far from the threat that is the arena now. He will have to fight again, he's certain about that but an insidious fear is spreading in his gut when he thinks about the Lightning God now. Those kisses may be his last moments of pleasure in this life so he puts his everything in them.

 

“Would you like to see something amazing?” Tadayoshi softly asks when they part.

 

Ryo is a little surprised but still nods. He's shown the sky to his lover, who wants to show him something of his world in return. He doubts anything down here is worth a clear night sky but still follows his companion through the small alleys until they climb in an odd looking elevator. This one is clearly not used by the people from the towers. Its walls are made of rusty metal railings and when Tadayoshi presses the button to go downward, the whole structure screams, trembling. Their vehicle sinks down into the earth, bringing them deeper at every jolt. It's very hot now, that deep under the surface, and the air is so rare that Ryo has trouble breathing normally. The other's arms are around him, protective and strong. Whatever his lover wants to show him, it will have to be very amazing for him to relax.

 

The elevator finally comes to a halt with a very loud clank. Tadayoshi opens the door and grabs his hand, leading him through a few corridors dug directly into the black stone. There are a few lamps lighting their steps but it's overall dark, so when they finally step into the cave, he's taken aback by the immensity of the place.

 

The cave is the largest dome Ryo has ever seen, way bigger than the arena where he fights. It's quite difficult to even see the ceiling, though it's studded with lights that look like stars. There's a lake in front of them, surreally glowing as if neons had been put underwater.

 

“Well, it's not the sky nor a bathtub but it still looks amazing, right?” Tadayoshi says playfully.

 

“It's incredible! How did you find this place?”

 

“My job. I'm in charge of cleaning the air ducts of the underground. You wouldn't believe all the things I've seen and discovered while crawling through them... Only a few people know about this place down here. You can't really see it but there's a sort of chimney opening on the ceiling. Sometimes, a hovercraft from the surface comes down to bring in rich people like you. They love that exotic place, with its glowing algae and the crystals on the walls.”

 

To prove his point he turns on a tiny lamp in his hand and lights the wall next to them. An infinity of small crystals shines when they're under the light, coloring the cave a thousand colors.

 

“Beautiful...” Ryo murmurs, astounded, while brushing the crystals with his tips. “It's like we're in a gigantic geode...”

 

“Precisely. Come with me...”

 

Ryo follows the other along the shore of the glowing lake for a little while. Every single thing in this place looks magic, from the height of the dome to the algae, the crystals and the weird little fauna he sometimes spots behind a rock or in the water.

 

They reach a wall that has been dug and converted into a small grotto, opening on the glowing water. There are a few things in there, clothes, kitchenware, a lamp and a mattress thrown on the floor lighted by the surreal blue sheen of the lake.

 

“Is this...?”

 

“Yeah, that's where I live. Sorry for the mess, I didn't think I would ever bring you here.” Tadayoshi explains with an apologetic smile.

 

“It's alright. I don't care about the mess. Because tonight, the only thing I care about is you.”

 

He closes the small distance between them to find his place against the other's solid chest. His lips are very soon caressing his lover's shoulder, climbing along the enticing neck until he finds the other's mouth for a kiss.

 

He's going to enjoy that night and get lost in the magic of this place, in the arms of his lover, and maybe tomorrow won't come. The world will forget about him and the Lightning God.

 

 


	2. Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second (long, so very long) part of this story. To be honest it was quite a complex process for me to write: I had too many ideas and not so much motivation to write a multichapter. So I had to squeeze things in and I'm sorry if it feels a bit rushed, but like most of my long stories, this had to get out of my system. I felt like I HAD to deliver it as it is. And I feel a lot better now it's completed :-)  
> Hope you'll like this whole story, despite its obvious flaws.   
> I still can't go back to 'Of Guns and Tragedy', it hurts even thinking of it. Hope it changes soon so I can complete this one too!

 

 

 

VI 

 

Once more, they're lost in the darkness, almost blind but feeling each other through caresses and kisses. It's like they've never touched each other before like the bathtub episode has only been a rehearsal, the necessary foreplay leading to a greater experience, something untold and so precious that it can only be lived surrounded by shimmering crystals.

 

Ryo's lips are running along his lover's neck, he wants to taste, to feel every inch of the other who lets him assume the bolder role. It hurts a little, this passion that makes him crazy but it's so worth the pain. Tadayoshi moans loudly when Ryo reaches his groin with his lips, playing a little with the sensitive skin down there. It makes him smile, the abandonment the taller man shows in his arms. It makes him proud.

 

Prouder than any of his victories in the Arena.

 

They're still standing and the other shakes on his legs, it's like he won't last long under the thoughtful caresses of his lover so he grabs Ryo under the armpits and lifts him at once in his arms to delicately drop him on the mattress lying there. They're kissing without words, discovering each other through the tip of their fingers and their tongues. It's so hot in the cave that their bodies slide against each other in a dance that has Ryo completely dizzy. He's hard, he wants more, despite their mixed sweat burning his skin, where the fresher wounds are. It's a subtle mix of pleasure and pain that he experiences, that makes him let his lover slowly take over the situation.

 

Ryo gasps when he feels the other straddling him and lowering himself on his hardness. Nothing has been said, nor asked, but it feels obvious, the way Tadayoshi is seeing past his complexes, past his restraint and makes him a sensual human being.

 

The voluptuous hips are making Ryo see stars, rolling and moving so skillfully over him he can't help but throw his head backward and sink his nails into his lover's thighs. He thrusts upward and the movement is rewarded by a beautiful whimper that transforms into an incredible moan when he repeats the initiative, twice and thrice and a lot more, every single time more fascinated by how amazing the other feels around him. It's like he's found his perfect match, he's never felt something like this with anyone else, women or men.

 

He wants to make Tadayoshi understand that, so he reaches for the other's cheek, tucking the long and messy hair away behind his ear. His fingers are lost into the luscious mane for a second and it's like time has stopped. His lover is not moving anymore, Ryo is buried deep into him and can feel every breath, every twitch, every beating of his lover's heart passing to him through their intimate contact. He's in a daze, clenching Tadayoshi's nape to bring his lips to his for a kiss that means everything.

 

“I love everything about you...” He whispers, out of breath, and he gets kissed again, deeper, stronger. “... Even the weakling you're making of me.”

 

“I see no weakling here... Just the skinniest rich guy I've ever met,” Tadayoshi tells him with a voice so low it's barely audible. The young man moves again, rolling his hips in a way that makes Ryo moan wildly. With the tip of his fingers, Ryo can feel the light smirk that adorns his lover's full lips and it makes him laugh.

 

They're soon laughing together, it's the first time. They just can't contain themselves, giggling in the middle of their lovemaking, savoring the sound of their laughs echoing on the cave's walls. When finally his amusement dies, Ryo turns them over with a swift movement of his hips, instantly cradled between his lover's thighs.

 

He leaves a tender kiss on Tadayoshi's nose – when he was aiming at his lips, damn darkness – and marvels at the delightful chuckles it triggers.

 

“Come inside me, please...” His mate murmurs, forcefully pulling his hips to initiate movement, to make Ryo catch up with what they were initially going for.

 

He does not answer, just moves, thrusting with passion and care into the other, every move of his hips making his lover shake more until the young man comes, moaning his name. He didn't think he was so close to his own orgasm but the mere thought of how beautiful the other must have been at that moment, how gorgeous and tempting his abused lips must look now, is enough for him to reach his peak. He collapses on the tall man and coils against the luscious body, not caring about the mess nor the sweat, still burning his skin. He wants to melt into his lover and never leave his protective embrace.

 

They share other kisses and words of adoration in the secrecy of their cave, until Ryo asks for more, again, willing to go towards exhaustion in Tadayoshi's arms in a place where the sun never rises and tomorrow never comes.

 

****************  
  
Ryo opens his eyes when his body warns him that morning has actually come. Here, nothing shows the sun has even existed once and the darkness is still creeping everywhere. The glowing lake poorly lits the outside of Tadayoshi's nest but almost nothing of its surreal sheen is coming in. He shifts on the mattress and disentangles himself from the tight and comfortable embrace he's been sleeping in. Ryo feels more rested than ever despite the very long night they've spent getting to know each other's body and delights by heart. Now, curiosity takes over, and he wants to see.

 

He's had a glimpse of Tadayoshi's beautiful eyes the first night they've spent together but it's not enough, he wants to be able to admire the curves he's kissed, the muscles he's caressed and the man who's loved him like no one had before. He feels around with the tip of his fingers to find the small lamp he's rapidly seen caught in the smaller one's light his lover was carrying last night. The latter moves and stretches, gathering the bed sheets over him as if he were suddenly cold.

 

When Ryo finds the button, he smiles in glee and presses it. It's suddenly like a flickering daylight has entered the small cave and Tadayoshi opens his eyes in surprise. Ryo's smile vanishes, astounded by the sight of his lover recoiling under the blankets.

 

“What's happening, Tadayoshi, does it hurt?”

 

It can't be like that, he's seen the other under the blinding lighting of his own flat and he was perfectly well then.

“No... I don't want you to see...”

 

“To see what?...”

 

“Ryo...” The young man looks at his naked body with fear in his eyes. It's so weird how everything between them has changed within a split second. “... Those marks all over your body...”

 

“It's okay, Tadayoshi, it does not hu...”

 

“Are you a Driver?”

 

The question is asked with a cold voice, very far from the seductive and sensual tone his lover usually uses with him.

 

“I... am. Yes. How do you think a dumbass like me manages to be so rich, uh?” He shrugs, “I won't hurt you, Babe, I...”

 

“What's your Hero's name? Who are you?”

 

Ryo suddenly feels his stupid pride taking over his reasonable mind and grins.

 

“Nishikido Ryo. I drive the Lightning God.”

 

Tadayoshi's beautiful hazelnut eyes darken all of a sudden. He frowns in anger and Ryo inwardly panics.

 

“Leave!!! Leave now!”

 

“What?! But... Tadayoshi, it's okay, I'll never...”

 

“Leave!!!!” The other loudly shouts while heavy tears are rolling down his cheeks.

 

Ryo jumps back and grabs his clothes scattered all over the rocky floor. He puts them on in a haste wanting nothing more than to put some distance between him and the disheveled man that still urges him to leave. He runs out of the cave, glancing one last time at his lover, lost and heartbroken. He does not understand, it's too sudden, too violent after the night they've lived.

 

He stumbles on the rocks and almost falls several times running toward the secret elevator, his own tears blurring his sight.

 

The rusty vehicle jerks up and soon he's surrounded by stone and nothing but the sound of metal rubbing on the rock. Ryo falls to the floor, sobbing. He's at a loss, shocked. He remembers how loving the other has been all night and suddenly the image of his lover's wrath superimposes itself on the perfect vision, leaving him even more distraught.

 

When he finally surges through the clouds in the tower's glass elevators, Ryo's eyes are dry. The sun is up, hot and unforgiving. If he can't be loved for who he is, if his status prevents him to be loved then, tonight, he's going to enter the ring and kill. He's going to do his fucking job, and if he dies this time, at least he's sure no one will shed a tear for him

 

 

VII

  
  
  
Needless to say, his assistant is surprised to see him appear through the studio's door that night. Ryo has no kind words for the persons he works with, not even a look at them. He's focused on his upcoming fights, on his return to the stage. He has chewed on his anger all afternoon, though he can't really say if it's anger or devastating pain that makes him so broken but it surely fuels his determination.

 

People are running all around him, loading the Lightning God into the computers, telling the MC what he has to say: The greatest Hero has returned, he's not dead, he's not given up. The crowd roars in satisfaction when hearing his alias announced and as if nothing had changed, as if he hadn't almost died a week before, the Lightning God materializes again before the eyes of the audience.

 

It hurts like hell, and Ryo's brain is sending him pictures he'd rather forget at the moment. His lover's lips on his skin, the sensation of his velvety skin rubbing against his scars. Ryo screams. The Lightning God howls and his first opponent decides to quit without even fighting. The second one is destroyed in one single blow, so violent that the whole audience is showered with shimmering purple lights. Like a firework of pain falling on them, and that they try to touch, try to feel under their fingers. Ryo knows that the Driver must be spitting his blood all over the floor of his studio but he asks for another one, another fight.

 

All his competitors are falling tonight and he starts to understand that he won't die, not this way. He gets it now: the only opponent worth his power is the Green Hero. While easily fighting a small Double, he recalls the Green Hero's techniques, how deftly he moves and how calm he always looks when most of the Drivers can't help but show their nervousness through the fidgety movements of their hologram. And suddenly a memory of the morning comes back to his mind. He clenches his opponent's neck with a powerful hand and the arena shouts in glee at the way the White Double blows up between his huge fingers. Ryo doesn't care though, he's in shock. He's _seen_ the reason why Tadayoshi has become so crazy that very morning, but prisoner of his pain, he hasn't realized what it meant for them.

 

Ryo suddenly remembers the round scars all over his lover's right arm, that he's had a quick glimpse of before that arm disappeared below the blankets. The typical rosy marks... In the underground, only a Driver could have known what his own scarred limbs meant. The puzzle completes itself inside his head and he gapes at the idea that he's fallen in love with the very person who has almost killed him twice.

 

The bell rings again, the Lightning God is still kneeling on the floor over the nonexistent silhouette of his previous victim. Another one has already materialized behind him and he feels that wicked tickling in his stomach that he's experienced every time the Green Hero has entered the ring. He rises, without turning around. Ryo knows it's him. No other Driver would have waited for the Lightning God to stand again that patiently. They would have attacked his back, taking advantage of his temporary weakness. But not _him_.

 

He turns, finally, after what has seemed to be an eternity.

 

“So that's where we're at...” He says, loud enough for the microphone to pick his voice up and broadcast it in the arena.

 

“I didn't want this. I'm sorry.” It does not sound like Tadayoshi's voice, not really, but Ryo knows that the speakers are changing their voices on purpose.

 

The crowd is silent, listening to the strange conversation between its two favorite Heroes. The veteran and the rookie, the strongest of the bunch, the ones on top of the food chain.

 

“I _have_ to get rid of you, you're in my way.” The Green Hero adds, somewhat reluctant.

 

“Then come. No one will mourn my death anyway.”

 

The tall Double moves, ever so slightly, its incredibly long arms reaching for a virtual saber attached to his side.

 

“You know that I will, though...”

 

It was low, almost a whisper but still, Ryo's heard them, those words that mean everything to him. He breathes deeply and unsheathes his lightning sword all at once. They're looking into each other's fake glowing eyes and when the bell rings again, they both swing their blades with force. They meet halfway between them, exploding with a scary noise. They only have their hands left, huge armored hands that finally join mid-air and they scream at the pain they're both enduring at the same time. It's a fierce struggle, the two Heroes being of equal power and equal determination. The electrodes are melting on his skin again, due to too much power exchanged through the holograms' contact but he does not want to give up and let Tadayoshi go. It will be a painful death but at least he'll die by the hands of the only person he's ever deemed important to him.

 

But Ryo suddenly realizes that Tadayoshi must be going through the same torments, right now, in another studio, burnt alive by the Machine, his voluptuous flesh eaten by the very same electrodes that have made him a slave throughout the years. And knowing this is unbearable.

 

So he slowly gives up, letting the other's fantastic power take over him. His muscles are tired, he's exhausted, and renounces. He feels the other's force devouring his own, he's lying on the concrete floor of his studio, defeated and ready for the sacrifice.

 

In their electric embrace, among the awful noises their holograms produce Ryo can hear a word, a murmur, the sound of Tadayoshi's painful wailings. It makes him mad, he can't leave this word if it's for his lover to become a puppet like him, a slave to the Machine, he can't let that happen, even if it's the other's wish. So instead of sacrificing himself, Ryo does what no other Driver has ever done: he crawls to the main console in the studio and under the horrified look of his assistant, unplugs his Double.

 

No explosion for the curious audience, no lights coming out like a firework launched for a glorious death but just the sudden disappearance of one of the holograms and its opponent heavily falling to the floor, exhausted. There are surprised screams, questions and puzzled looks among the people watching before the lights suddenly go on, and the Green Hero disappears as well.

 

The MC fawningly apologizes for a ' _very rare technical issue_ ' to a chorus of boos.

 

****************  
  
Ryo tears the damaged electrodes from his arms and legs, he doesn't care about the blood nor the shocked screams of the team supposed to bring the Lightning God to life. He grabs his shirt and the jeans waiting for him on a chair and kicks the door of his studio open. Tadayoshi _has_ to be somewhere in the arena, in one of the studios prepared for the fighters. He's never done that, running along the hallway surrounding the ring to find another Driver. People panic around him, what he's done is straight up rebellion against the Order and has disorganized the whole Arena.

 

The doors of a dozen studios fly open under his blows, but there's still no traces of his lover. So he runs faster, and hits more doors, damaging his knuckles on the metallic panels. When he's finally all the way around the Arena and there are only a few studios left, Ryo stops and breathes deeply. His hands hurt, his legs are numb and he feels overall dizzy but he can't let Tadayoshi being taken by the medical team without seeing him first.

 

So he gathers his strength and walks to the closest door to his left. It's slightly ajar, so he just faintly pushes it until he can see what he's looking for: Tadayoshi is lying on the floor, surrounded by two young boys, so frightened and lost they can't even touch him.

 

Ryo runs to the center of the room and pushes one of the boys out of his way.

 

“Move!” He shouts, desperate.

 

His lover is unconscious, the burning electrodes still attached to his muscles. Ryo tears them off the soft skin and grabs the first-aid kit one of the assistants had the wit to bring with him.

 

“Isn't there any medical team to assist us?” He asks crying, to the boys.

 

“No, Sir. They won't come. The team is not sponsored, we're by ourselves here.” The smaller hiccups.

 

“Alright. So you will help me guys, we have to take him out of here, I'm going to take care of him. Understood?”

 

“Yes, Sir.” They both sniffle.

 

While he is taking care of his lover's wounds – and his own – the two boys find a stretcher on which they install the tall man with some difficulties. It's still chaos in the corridors but no one has even the idea to come and look for the Lightning God's Driver in his opponent's studio.

 

He leaves the arena alone with Tadayoshi on the stretcher, taking advantage of the confusion and the anonymity of his face, hoping that his own team won't walk by them. Ryo manages to reach his own place a good thirty minutes later, exhausted but relieved they could leave the arena alive. His lover his still unconscious but breathing. It makes him smile and it feels like a half-victory, given how this night has started. Protected behind his own walls, Ryo installs Tadayoshi on his bed and starts tending their wounds properly. His communication device is ringing continuously, probably his sponsors trying to contact him, so for the second time that day he unplugs a machine. Ryo knows the price that he'll pay for this.

 

 

VIII

 

 

Ryo has sat through the night, checking on his lover and mulling over his act of rebellion. He's now conscious of the fact that his sponsors won't forgive him for what he has done and in this world, the sponsors are the Power, the head of the nation. They can make one's fortune and one's demise just by clapping their soiled hands together.

 

Tadayoshi is talking in his sleep, unintelligible words lost in his furry mouth. Sometimes he looks like he's in love, the second after wrath is tearing his beautiful features apart. Ryo runs the tip of his fingers over the scarred skin of the young man, thoughtful. How come he hasn't even seen or even felt that before? Hypnotized by the other's sensuality, he has behaved like a spoiled child, taking the pleasure that has been offered without even asking the important questions.

 

It's three in the morning when Tadayoshi opens his eyes on the very bright bedroom in which Ryo has brought him. He recoils, at first, surprised by the look of the place before seeing his lover, seated next to the bed. He sighs and closes his eyes again.

 

“Why?” He asks, his hoarse voice broken by the powerful screams he's shouted in the arena.

 

“Why what?” Ryo answers, cheeky. It's no time for humor but he can't help it, the conversation they'll have will be so tense he needs to relax a bit.

 

“Why did you bring me here? I tried to kill you, remember? You should have let me rot down there.”

 

“You were unassisted. Your boys were bawling next to you, doing nothing.”

 

“And?”

 

“And there's no way I'm letting you down. Period.”

 

Tadayoshi sniggers. His curly black hair sticks to his feverish forehead, attracting Ryo's eyes to the perfection of the young man's features. He takes his time to observe, under the bright lights of his place, to savor the beauty he was only feeling before.

 

“And how about you? Who took care of your wounds?”

 

“I did. I'm used to doing it myself, I'm okay, I unplugged the Machine before you could hurt me too much.”

 

“Oh, so that's what has happened?” Tadayoshi smiles knowingly. “The Lightning God has rebelled?”

 

There's bitterness in those words, Ryo reckons.

 

“You were suffering. I could feel it. I... I realized I couldn't let that happen. And I swear that's not like me... For the first time in my life, I've tried to protect someone. It's weird. I... We're in trouble but I don't regret it. I had to.”

 

Ryo leans in and lets his lips find Tadayoshi's for a fleeting kiss. To his own surprise, the young man does not recoil and lets himself be kissed.

 

“What are we gonna do, then?”

 

“You could start with some explanations, first. Well... if you feel like it of course...”

 

Tadayoshi sits up, a frown of pain marking his face. He seems ready to speak and does not hide under the covers anymore, his scarred chest out in the light for Ryo to see.

 

“I... I was born underground, at the eighth level, where my mom lives. She had fallen in love with a man claiming that he had been raised in the Towers and was a Driver. He was, in fact, and it was no lie. They brought three kids to life, me being the oldest. I haven't told you my last name because my dad was as famous as the Lightning God is, right now. My full name's Ohkura Tadayoshi.”

 

Ryo's jaw drops hearing the truth. He's awestruck.

 

“Ohkura-sama is your father? He is a legend!”

 

“He was. And that's where problems started for me. You see, my dad, he was a good guy, and his head was full of beautiful ideas: he dreamt about a utopian society where everybody would be equal and no one would be a slave to the Machine and corrupt leaders. A world where all humans could see the sunrise. He raised us, secretly, in my mom's small house on 8th, and talked to us about revolution, change, overthrowing this corrupt system. At night, he was their thing, the most famous Hero the country had ever known, Green Revenge. But when he came back home he was holding meetings with revolutionary groups, while we were listening and learning. He also taught me how to drive and how to be a Hero. He always told me it could come in handy one day. He was right.” Tadayoshi pauses for a while, and takes a deep breath. His fingers have intertwined with Ryo's on the bed and his thumb is brushing his lover's hand. “My dad... died ten years ago... murdered by his sponsors, who had found out about his revolutionary ideas. He was slain by hired killers on his way home one morning, and I saw every second of this madness. I remember every single second of it, the blood, the violence... They thought that, my father dead, the revolution he had ignited would die. He was the most famous Hero of all time, he couldn't just vanish into thin air, so they organized a mock fight in the arena with a hired Driver instead of him and faked his Green Revenge's defeat. And it was said he'd killed himself out of shame. Then, they went to search for another promising puppet they could mold, and could use to control people's mind and they hired... you, the promising young Driver. Your sponsors are the ones who've killed my father ten years ago.”

 

“I... I don't know, it's...” Ryo wants to scream that it's impossible, it's all a lie, but somehow he knows it's possible. He knows that his sponsors are the kind of people who could pull something like this off. He's been fooled all this time, brought to fame and wealth walking on Tadayoshi's father corpse. “I'm sorry... I didn't...”

 

“Of course you didn't know, I can't resent you for all this.” Tadayoshi gestures at the luxurious place around them. Ryo feels shame. He somehow knew how unbalanced the society was but never really questioned anything as long as his paychecks were beefy. “But down in my cave, all this while, I prepared my revenge. I gathered people with the same ideas as me and my father in a large group ready to take up arms, I trained to become the best Driver, fighting in the small Arenas first before I could access the main one, where the Lightning God was fighting. If I killed him during a fight, his sponsors would take interest in my Double and try hiring me as their new Hero. I would have approached their corrupt circle of leaders and killed them all one by one. That's why I needed the Lightning God out of my way. That's why... When I saw... Your scars...”

 

Tadayoshi is crying, and Ryo remembers the pain he's felt in his heart when the other has chased him away.

 

“They're gonna come for us, Tadayoshi. They know what I've done, and I guess they plan to get rid of me as they did with your father.”

 

“I know. Now, my question is simple, Ryo. Will you be on my side, or on theirs? I've nothing to offer you but myself, a cave with a glowing lake and many fights against this world's wealthiest bastards. While you can still try to coax your sponsors by turning me in.”

 

Ryo silently climbs on the bed, slipping into the other's arms. He rests his head on his lover's chest and dreams of a world where they wouldn't have to deal with such matters. A world where they could be two young and healthy men freely loving each other.

 

“Will you offer me love? Will you remember me as someone you loved if I ever die?”

 

Tadayoshi's deft fingers brush his messy hair back, gently massaging his temples.

 

“I won't let you die, anyway.”

 

“You did not answer my question.”

 

Slow but firm, Tadayoshi's lips are running along his forehead, his nose until they're fully kissing. It feels like an answer, like an unconditional yes. He knows he holds Tadayoshi's life in his hands, one word from him and his lover is arrested and he's rewarded with more money, and maybe a life as a freed slave never asked to connect to the Machine again.

 

But who will remember him when he dies? Him, Nishikido Ryo.

 

Is he able to keep living as a part of that system now that he's met Tadayoshi? Isn't the other deceiving him with caresses and sweet words in order to stay alive?

 

His head hurts, it's like it's going to explode. His lover's hands are roaming on his now naked chest, firm and warm, their kiss deepens, he can't even keep track of his own thoughts, not when the other moans in his mouth, not when his heart bursts with love before his brains can even catch up.

 

Ryo will follow Tadayoshi. Anywhere.

 

And if he gets betrayed, if he dies, at least he knows that it's out of love that he's made his decision.

 

 

 

 

IX

 

 

 

“Are you sure?” He asks one last time.

 

“Yes. Let's do it.” Tadayoshi answers, kissing him once more on the lips.

 

Ryo turns his communication device on again. It beeps and suddenly lits up green. It's very simple, he just has to dial his sponsor's office number. It's so fucking simple and so difficult as well.

 

There are a few beeps and the secretary's voice fills the silent space of Ryo's apartment.

 

“Suzuki-sama's Office, how may I help you?”

 

“It's Nishikido. I need to talk to Suzuki-sama.”

 

“Please hold the line, I'll put you through.”

 

There's a silence and Ryo checks on Tadayoshi with worried eyes. They're still exhausted from their fight, he fears for them both, even if his lover has assured him that they'll have a backup.

 

“Hello? Nishikido-kun?” A loud voice crackles on the other side of the line.

 

“Yes. I need to see you. I've been held hostage all night by the leader of a revolutionary group. He's the Driver of the Green Double who has defeated me. I... I've managed to fight back and catch him.”

 

The bigger the lie, the more people believe it, he thinks, full of hope.

 

“... Well, that's nice to hear. Who's that guy?”

 

“He claims to be Ohkura Tadayoshi.”

 

“Perfect, Nishikido-kun, well done. Bring him to the Arena in one hour. We'll organize a little reception for our new friend...” Suzuki hangs up while laughing, leaving Ryo very uncomfortable.

 

“He'll have armed men with him, the police...” He says, just in case it could persuade Tadayoshi to give up.

 

“Then it's time to call our friends...” The other answers with a smile.

 

****************  
  
The Arena is empty when they finally arrive, its gigantic dome looking almost tiny compared to Tadayoshi's cave. They do not stop by the studios and go immediately for the ring. It's the first time Ryo climbs on stage as himself. Usually, in his place, the Lightning God stands and fights. Usually, he isn't confronted with all those threatening grey terraces in which many enemies can hide. He's not a powerful Hero anymore, he's just a man, exhausted and afraid.

 

Tadayoshi walks behind him, his wrists attached together with a thin but strong rope that Ryo holds. They stop right in the middle of the ring and look around.

 

“No one's here yet.”

 

“Oh, they're here, watching us, don't worry... Hit me.”

 

“What?!” Ryo hisses. “Are you crazy? No! I won't...”

 

“Hit me, it's for the show. We need him to show up, it's our only chance. Please.” Tadayoshi whispers through his gritted teeth. There's excitement in his eyes, he's collected and dignified, utterly attractive to Ryo who struggles with his fear.

 

He takes a breath and half-heartedly hits his lover in the stomach, hoping that the painful sound the other produces makes up for his poor acting skills.

 

“Again,” Tadayoshi commands, once lying on the floor.

 

So Ryo mimicks a violent kick, trying to hold his strength back, again. The other lets a very loud cry escape his throat as if his heart had burst.

 

“Nishikido-kun! Stop, don't spoil the moment! I'll give you plenty of time to kill that fucker...”

 

Ryo turns around and his fighter's mind takes over, counting the armed enemies surrounding his main sponsor at once. Fifteen men taking position all around them on the first level of seats. Fifteen guns aimed at Tadayoshi, ready to fire anytime. He's nauseous, feels like they won't make it, again.

 

Suzuki walks to them, slowly. He's a huge man, fat and tall, breathing very loudly at every step he takes. His disgusting pursed lips smile with contempt. He approaches Tadayoshi, at first, and tentatively kicks him, earning a low growl from his victim. Ryo does not move. He boils inside but can't make a movement, his brain being way too busy dealing with what's happening on the terraces. A group of about twenty men and women, wearing rags and armed with old guns are silently taking place right above the sponsor's men. They're waiting for a word, for an order. They're so discreet that no one except him and Tadayoshi, who were counting on them, knows they're here.

 

Suzuki turns to him and pats his shoulder.

 

“You're a very good boy, Ryo. For a little while, I thought you'd betrayed us, but seeing that son of a bitch here, I must tell you, you're making me the happiest man on earth.”

 

“He told me you've killed his father.”

 

“Ah. Ohkura-san. Mmmh. Yeah, we might have helped him die, somehow. But he was an anarchist, he threatened our country's stability. A real threat. And his son is the same kind of crap. We've been trying to get to him and his little group of activists for a long time already.”

 

Tadayoshi squirms a little, making his wrists' ties loosen a bit. He growls again at Suzuki's speech and the armed men around them lift their rifles, more than ready to fire.

 

“Calm down, everyone,” Suzuki says, obsequious. “It's Ryo's duty to get rid of that scum.”

 

He reaches for a holster hidden under his jacket and hands a heavy black gun to Ryo.

 

“Shoot him. He's yours. Shoot him now and you'll be given everything you desire.”

 

Ryo nods and obediently takes the gun, aiming at Tadayoshi who's still kneeling on the floor. There's only one thing left to do and it will be over. His lover's hazelnut eyes are unwavering under the threat, and Ryo can't say if he's afraid or if he just fully trusts him. There's a moment of silence in the Arena, they're staring into each other's eyes, reading into their irises all the feelings, all the hidden fears and Ryo finds, all the love Tadayoshi tries to express. His eyes are not begging, they're just showing all the love and all the faith his companion has put in him.

 

So when Tadayoshi slightly winks and smiles, Ryo knows what he has to do.

 

“It's time for you to pay for your crimes, fucker!” He shouts. Swiftly turning around, he pulls the trigger, aiming right between Suzuki's eyes.

 

The sponsor's skull bursts like a ripe fruit and Tadayoshi screams “Now!” at the very top of his lungs.

 

The hidden rebels are coming out of the shadows, attacking the stunned guards from behind, as silent and efficient as hired killers. Everything happens so quickly that Ryo hasn't time to see one of their enemies shooting in his direction. He's violently pushed away, falling onto the concrete floor under the heavier body of his lover. He's confused for a second, half-knocked-out by the shock. The world is a blur for his eyes, he can't see well, but he can feel on the tip of his fingers hot and sticky liquid running along Tadayoshi's skin.

 

He suddenly moves and sits up, driven by his fear of losing the other, shaking his head to clear up his mind. His lover is now in his arms, grimacing with pain.

 

“What did you do, why?” Ryo sobs, trying to find where all the blood is coming from.

 

“I promised I wouldn't let you die...” The young man chuckles, albeit painfully.

 

“Where? Where is it?” He panics, his hands red and shiny. Through his tears he can't see well, the only thing he knows is that the fights have stopped around them, and given they're still alive, the rebels have most likely won this round.

 

“My arm... Through the flesh. It's okay, Ryo. Stop crying, I won't die, I'm okay...”

 

At the very center of the ring that has seen Ryo's glory as the Lightning God, Tadayoshi clumsily stands, holding his wounded arm with his other hand. He stands and shouts in joy, with a voice so powerful it sends chills through his lover's spine. The rebels echo their leader's scream, lifting their guns above their heads.

 

“One down, my friends! There are more, don't be fooled, we've only won the first battle, but I trust you! We'll succeed, together!!”

 

Ryo's blood is boiling in his veins, his tears have stopped. He stands as well and takes a step toward his lover. They look at each other in the eyes, smiling. Tadayoshi grabs his nape and pulls him to his lips for a passionate kiss, and he forgets everything around them, the noise, the blood and the fear. He feels a powerful desire grow in his gut, a passion he hasn't felt in years taking over his worries.

 

“Bring me back to our cave, now...” Tadayoshi whispers against his lips.

 

For now, it's over. Ryo turns around one last time when they're about to leave the Arena. He takes a good look at that place he's both loved and feared all his life.

 

He hopes it will remember him, this place, the Machine. Not for his years as the Driver of the Lightning God, but for today, for that spark of rebellion Tadayoshi and him have ignited, together.

 


End file.
